Refrigerator



H. L. MERRILL REFRIGERATOR June 2l, 1938.

Filed Sept. 25, 1936 FPGA? 56. 6 /N VEN 70%? HARL PTERHL,

rrafy upowing air to enter the ice compartment.

Patented June 21, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT 'oFFicE Harder Refrigerator Corporation,

C'obleskill,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 25, 1936, Serial No. 102,499

8 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerators and particularly to improvements in refrigerators of the general type described and claimed in my copendng application Serial No. 57,674 filed Janu- 5 ary 6, 1936. In the aforesaid application I have disclosed. a refrigerator having an ice support therein comprising a transverse partition and ice rack which divides the interior of the refrigerator into an ice compartment above and a 10 storage compartment below and in which the rack and partition cooperate to form air passages therebetween. The wann air is conducted upwardly at the interior sides of the cabinet and discharged directly against the lower portions of -15 a body of ice resting on the rack whereby the density of the air is increased by cooling, and its direction of ilow is changed so that it flows downwardly and through the. air passages between the rack and the partition.

In the refrigerator of the present application a portion of the air upflowing from the storage compartment is directed against the lower side portions of a body of ice resting upon the rack but this is accomplished without permitting the In other words, although the air circulation is maintained below the upper surface of the ice rack, the air or a portion thereof is brought directly into contact with the ice and the progressive meltage of the ice is confined substantially to the lower portions thereof.

The objects of my invention are attained by utilizing the novel elements and the combinations and arrangements thereof described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in Which- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of my refrigerator;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an ice rack element;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary p-lane View of the rack element shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation View of a modified type of rack element; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plane View of the element shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the central rack element.

Referring to the drawing, I represents the heat insulated cabinet of the refrigerator which is understood tobe of the front icing type. An ice support, comprising a partition, represented generally by the numeral 2', and an ice rack, repre- .55 sented generally by the numeral 3, divides the interior of the cabinet into an ice compartment 4, above, and a storage compartment 5, below.

The partition 2 comprises thin metal sheath-` ing 6 enclosing heat insulating material l. The partition is provided with a central opening 8 5 for the downflow of cold air' from` the ice compartment to the storage compartment and is spaced from the opposite sides of the refrigerator, as shown at 9 fand IU, to provide ducts for the up-flow of warm air from the storage com- 10 partment. Preferably, the partition is downwardly inclined from the sides to-wards the center to facilitate the circulation of air both in the air passages between the ice rack and the partition and in the upper portion of the storage com 15 p-artment.

The ice rack preferably comprises three, separate elements whereby it is readily removable from the cabinet. One: of these elements: II has an inverted U-shaped cross section and rests on 20 the partition to form -a bridge across the cold air opening 8. The vertical sides of the element II are provided with spaced openings 40 adapted to register with air passages formed beneath the other rack elements as will be described below. 25 The elements I2 and I3 at either side of the element I I are similar, and are of metal, preferably sheet metal, formed with a plurality of comparatively deep valleys I4 therein. The valleys alternate with sharp-crested ridges I 5 so that the 30 elements I2 and I3 may be said to have comparatively deep, V-shaped valleys therein alternating with sharp-crested, inverted-V-shaped ridges. Metal strips I6 and Il extend across the bottoms of the elements I 2 and I3 and are riveted 35 or otherwise secured thereto, as shown at I8, I9 and 2D. In. order to permit water to flow freely over the upper surf-ace of the partition, the strips I6 and I1 are bent downwardly, as shown at 2|,

22 and 23, to raise the intermediate portions of 40 the strips slightly above the upper surface of the partition.

The valleys I4 in the elements I 2 and I3 run transversely of the cabinet and the ends 24 thereof, which are adjacent the warm air ducts 9 and 45 III, are open so that ice resting therein is exposed directly to the warm air in the ducts 9 and I I) when the air flow in said ducts is deflected towards the central opening 8. The portions of the elements I2 and I3 between the valleys co- 50 operate with the partition 2 to form air passages therebetween extending substantially from the warm air ducts 9 and I to the central opening 8, and in which the flowing air is maintained in high heat-transfer-r'elation to the bottom of said rack. -55

In order to restrict the extent to which the warm air flowing upwardly through the ducts 9 and I may rise, and also to deflect this upflowing air horizontally or substantially horizontally towards the central opening 8, the ends of the rack elements I2 and I3 are notched out, as shown at 25 in Figs. 1 and 2, and a plate 25 is soldered thereto, as shown. These plates abut the interior sides of the cabinet and extend completely across the upper portions of the ducts 9 and Ill, as shown in Fig. l, whereby to stopthe upow of the warm air and deflect it laterally towards the central opening 8. A portion of this warm air is, of course, deflected directly against ice lying in those portions of the valleys adjacent the ducts and hence a fairly rapid meltf` age of the ice is obtained in these Zones. The ice may be undercut, as shown at 21 in Fig. l, and the air passing beneath the overhanging portions of the ice may flow downwardly through openings 28 in the bottom of the valleys and laterally toward the central opening 8 with the balance of the air which was deflected directly into the air passages. Where, due to light load conditions, the ice is not undercut to the openings 28, the air contacting the ice may flow downwardly and enter the air passages with the balance of the air through the open ends of said passages.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a modified type of the elements i2 and I3. This differs fromA the type shown in Fig. 2 only in the end plate construction 29. Here, instead of notching out the element, as shown at 25 in Fig. 2, the plate 29 is soldered or otherwise secured directly to the top 3B of the ridges. This plate, as in the case of the plates 26, is adapted to abut the interior side of the refrigerator and limit the upow of warm air in the ducts 9 and I0, as above described.

In order to facilitate re-icing of the refrigerator, I prefer to provide the elements l2 and I3 with the runners 3i and 32 which may comprise round rods secured thereto and extending across the ridges, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to accomplish the same result in the type of grid element shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the plates 29 may be bent upwardly, as shown at 33, to form runners.

In order to prevent condensation collecting on the underneath side of the central element l I from dropping downwardly through the central opening 8 into the storage compartment, I pro- `vide a drip plate 34 on the underneath side of element Il. The ends of the plate 34 overhang the partition at the sides of the opening 8 and it is to be understood that the partition 2 is sloped from the front to the rear of the cabinet to permit water to drain therefrom into a discharge pipe 35.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that warm air iiowing from the storage compartments to the ducts 9 and Ill does not enter the refrigerant compartment, yet it is brought into direct contact with portions of the ice by reason of the novel construction which I have described above.

While I have described my invention in its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation. Hence, changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

1. In an ice refrigerator the combination with a cabinet having a partition extending from the front to the back thereof and subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; said partition being provided with a central opening 5 for the downow of cold air, and being spaced from two opposite sides of said refrigerator to provideducts for theupflow of warm air from the storage compartment; of an ice rack supported on said partition and comprising three l0 separate elements whereby it is readily removable from said cabinet; said elements including two similar side elements of thin metal having lcomparatively deep, V-shaped valleys therein and cooperating with said partition to form air pas- 15 sages therebetween communicating with said central opening and with said ducts; said side elementsy being provided with means extending laterally ,therefrom to close said ducts and deect the upflowing warm air into said air passages and toward those surface portions only of a body of iceY resting on said rack which lie in the valleys of said rack.

2. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a transverse partition therein having a central-25 opening for the downflow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; the ends of said partition being spaced from two opposite interior sides of said cabinet to provide-30 ducts for the upilow of warm air; an ice rack above said partition formed with a plurality of comparatively deep Valleys therein opening into said ducts and having portions between said valleys cooperating with said partition to formgg35 air passages providing communication between said warm air ducts and said central opening, and means extending between said rack and the interior sides of said cabinet for closing said ducts at the tops thereof, whereby the upwardfmt() flow of warm air therethrough may be cut olf, and for deecting all of said air directly into said passages and into said Valleys whereby some of the warm air so conducted may flow directly into contact with those portions of a body of ice en /5,545 said rack which lie in said valleys thereof.

3. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet,

a transverse partition therein having a central opening for the downflow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compart-pgo ment above and a storage compartment below; the ends of said partition being spaced from two opposite interior sides of said cabinet to provide ducts for the upflow of warm air; an ice rack above said partition formed with a plurality of.;;55 comparatively deep, V -shaped valleys therein opening into said ducts and having inverted-V- shaped portions between said valleys cooperating with said partition to form air vpassages providing communication between said warm air ductseo and said central opening, and means for closing said ducts at the tops thereof and near the top of said rack, whereby the upward ow of warm air therethrough may be cut off, and for deflecting all of said air directly into said passages andagj into said valleys whereby air is introduced to said valleys only in zones extending below the plane of the top of said rack.

4. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a transverse partition therein having a central=l opening for the downow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; the ends of said partition being spaced from two opposite interior sides of said cabinet to provide G ducts for the upiiow of warm air, and said partition being downwardly inclined from said ducts towards said central opening; an ice rack comprising metal elements supported on said partition at either side of said central opening and formed with a plurality of comparatively deep valleys therein opening into said ducts; the bottoms of said valleys being in close proximity to said partition, and the portions of said elements between said valleys cooperating with said partition to form air passages providing communication between said warm air ducts and said central opening, whereby air flowing through said passages will be maintained in high-heat-transfer relation to said elements; said ducts being closed at the tops thereof and near the top of said rack to deect and introduce all of the-upflowing warm air directly into said passages and valleys whereby some of said air will flow through said passages and the balance thereof may ow laterally toward those surface portions only of a body of ice resting on said rack which lie in the valleys of said rack.

5. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a transverse partition therein having a central opening for the downow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice cornpartment above and a storage compartment below; the ends of said partition being spaced from two opposite interior sides of said cabinet to provide ducts for the upflow of warm air, and said partition being downwardly inclined from said ducts towards said central opening; an ice rack comprising metal elements supported on said partition at either side of said central opening and formed with a plurality of comparatively deep', V-shaped valleys therein opening into said ducts; the bottoms of said valleys being in close proximity to said partition, and the portions of said elements between said valleys cooperating with said partition to form air passages providl ing communication between said warm air ducts and said central opening, whereby air iiowing through said passages will be maintained in highheat-transfer relation to said elements; said ducts being closed at the tops thereof and near the top of said rack to deect and introduce all of the upflowing warm air directly into said passages and valleys whereby some of said air will flow through said passages and the balance thereof may flow laterally toward those surface portions only of a body of ice resting on said rack which lie in the valleys of said rack.

6. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a transverse partition therein having a central opening for the downflow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; the ends of said partition being spaced from two opposite interior sides of said cabinet to provide ducts for the upflow of warm air, an ice rack comprising metal elements supported on said partition at either side of said central opening and formed with a plurality of comparatively deep, V-shaped valleys therein opening into said ducts; the bottoms of said valleys being in close proximity to said partition, and the portions of said elements between said valleys cooperating with said partition to form air passages providing communication between said warm air ducts and said central opening, whereby air flowing through said passages will be maintained in highheat-transfer relation to said elements; said ducts being closed at the tops thereof and near the top of said rack to deect and introduce all of the upflowing warm air directly into said passages and valleys whereby some of said air will ow through said passages and the balance thereof may flow laterally toward those surface portions only of a body of ice resting on said rack which lie in the valleys of said rack.

'7. In an ice refrigerator the combination with a cabinet having a partition extending from the front to the back thereof and subdividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; said partition being provided with a central opening for the downow of cold air, and being spaced from two opposite sides of said refrigerator to provide ducts for the upflow of warm air from the storage compartment; of an ice rack supported on said partition and comprising three separate elements whereby it is readily removable from said cabinet; said elements including two similar side elements of thin metal having comparatively deep, V-shaped valleys therein and cooperating with said partition to form air passages therebetween communicating with said central opening and with said ducts; said side elements being provided with means extending transversely of said valleys above the bottom thereof and arranged to overlie and close the upper ends of said ducts whereby to deflect the upflowing warm air into said air passages and toward those surface portions only of a body of ice resting on said rack which lie in the valleys of said rack.

8. An ice refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a transverse partition therein having a central opening for the downow of cold air and dividing the interior of said cabinet into an ice compartment above and a storage compartment below; the ends of said partition being spaced from two opposite interior sides of said cabinet to provide ducts for the upflow of warm air; an ice rack above said partition formed with a plurality of comparatively deep valleys therein and having portions between said Valleys cooperating with said partition to form air passages providing communication between said warm air ducts and said central opening; said ice rack extending across said ducts, whereby to cut off the direct upward ow of air through said ducts and deflect it towards said passages.

HARRY L. MERRILL. 

